Series six of Peaky Blinders will air this weekend, with audiences transported back to post-war Birmingham.
The much-loved Shelby family are returning to our screens for the next instalment of the smash-hit gangster drama.
There’ll be a notable absence in season six though – Helen McCrory, who played matriarch Polly Gray, sadly died last April after a private cancer battle.
A tribute to the actor is believed to air in the season premiere this week.
Here’s what you need to know ahead of the return of Peaky Blinders.
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What is the release date for Peaky Blinders season six?
Cillian Murphy will be back in season six of Peaky Blinders. Credit: BBC
Producers finally revealed the release date for the sixth instalment of Peaky Blinders last week.
Creator Steven Knight had previously said they were aiming for a springtime release – but fans were pleasantly surprised by how early the episodes will begin.
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The release date was revealed with a huge mural painted by Manchester’s mural king and legendary street artist, Akse P19.
It’s all set to kick off on Sunday February 27 from 9pm.
It’s then set to air one episode a week at 9pm on Sundays.
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Where to watch Peaky Blinders season six
Tommy and Arthur Shelby in Peaky Blinders. Credit: BBC
Although the previous series of Peaky Blinders are all available to watch on Netflix, it won’t be the streaming platform that gets first dibs on the new episodes.
Episodes will only air once a week, and there’s expected to be six in total, as in previous series.
Where was season six filmed?
The Peaky Blinders cast in a previous series filming at Victoria Baths in Manchester. Credit: BBC
A lot of the scenes in the final instalment of Peaky Blinders were filmed right here in Manchester, despite the drama being based in Birmingham.
Huge sets were built around Castlefield, with the ancient cobbled streets transformed into both Chinatown and Small Heath.
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Crews even built a mock frontage for the Garrison pub, which is owned by the Shelby family.
Cillian Murphy was also spotted filming scenes on a narrowboat on the canals in Castlefield.
It’s not the first time the drama has visited our city – scenes from previous series were shot around Mangle Street, London Road Fire Station, Victoria Baths and Stockport Plaza.
What happened at the end of the last series?
If you haven’t watched season five yet – stop reading now, spoilers lie ahead.
It was an action-packed few weeks with the Shelby family, including plenty of sex, violence and politics.
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The season began with the Wall Street crash of 1929 and the decimation of the Shelby finances, which drives a huge wedge between Tommy and Michael (Polly’s son).
Meanwhile, Tommy is now MP for Birmingham South, and feeding information about fascist Oswald Mosley to British intelligence services.
At the end of the series, Tommy’s attempt to assassinate Mosley in an elaborate plan backfires, resulting in the death of Polly’s fiance Aberama Gold.
The bold cliffhanger saw Tommy’s PTSD in full, devastating effect, with the show’s star strolling into a field with a gun to his head.
Will he pull the trigger? We’ll soon find out.
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What has the creator said?
Steven Knight has confirmed that this will be the last series of Peaky Blinders, but a feature-length film is planned to properly tie things up.
In an interview with the BBC, Knight said: “I don’t want to give away any spoilers so I would just say: Tommy is about to face enemies and demons more powerful than anything he’s ever faced before.
“It’s the mid 1930s, fascism is on the rise, the Shelbys are more powerful than ever. But demons are coming to reclaim Tommy Shelby.
“What I’ve wanted from the beginning is to start off with a character who seems irredeemable. Who is switched off completely; whose humanity has been torn out of him by his experiences in the war.
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“And then slowly bring him back to life, to turn him back into a human being over the however many hours that we’ve done. And I think at the end of six, for all the bad things that he’s done, Tommy is a human being.”
Featured image: BBC
TV & Showbiz
New BBC series based on bestselling book to film in Manchester with big-name actors
Emily Sergeant
A new BBC series based on a bestselling book is set to begin filming in Manchester.
The new series, titled You Are Here, is described as being an ‘honest, witty, and tender’ love story based on David Nicholls’ critically acclaimed novel of the same name – with the author having also written the eight-part adaptation set to be directed Lenny Abrahamson, who is best known for BBC‘s cult-classic miniseries Normal People, and the Oscar-nominated Room (2015).
Set along the Coast to Coast walking trail from the Lake District to Robin Hood’s Bay in North Yorkshire, You Are Here tells the story of Marnie and Michael.
When a mutual friend throws them together, Marnie and Michael unexpectedly find themselves setting off on an epic walk.
Against the odds, they end up on the brink of a relationship that neither was looking for, but might be exactly what they both need.
Treading the tricky path from loneliness to love, Marnie and Michael go coast-to-coast across the stunning English countryside, navigating an undeniable attraction along the way that is just as exhilarating as it is terrifying.
📚 Claire Foy and Matthew Macfadyen lead the cast of You Are Here, adapted from David Nicholls' best-selling novel
Producers say the series is about finding a connection when you least expect it and overcoming the obstacles of midlife.
Set to be filmed across Manchester and the Lake District, it has been announced that respected actors Claire Foy and Matthew Macfadyen will take on the lead roles of Marnie and Michael.
“I’m so delighted to be working on You Are Here with Element, the BBC, Starz, and Lenny, whose work I’ve admired for many years,” commented David Nicholls.
“And Matthew and Claire are both just dream casting, wonderful in comedy and drama, so detailed and thoughtful and sympathetic.
“The intention with the novel was to write a close-up study of a relationship, but set against this magnificent landscape, and that’s our ambition here too – to make something both intimate and epic, funny and dramatic, a romantic comedy with real emotion.
“We can’t wait to bring Marnie and Michael’s journey to the screen.”
Featured Image – Juankr and Josh Wool (via BBC Press Office)
TV & Showbiz
North West comedy podcast set to ‘replace Live at the Apollo’ with FREE YouTube alternative
Danny Jones
Hit North West comedy podcast Have A Word has said that it will be “replacing” Live at the Apollo following the beloved British stand-up show being cancelled this past July.
The popular Have A Word pod is one of the biggest in the UK, not to mention boasting one of the biggest Patreon memberships around.
Famously described by executive producer and co-host Carl Reigler, as well as its most avid followers, as a ‘FREE podcast that more than 32,000 people still choose to pay for’, their in-house studio already puts out regular monthly specials, produces fellow comedians’ stand-up specials and other podcasts.
And now, it looks like they’re aiming to fill the void left by Live at the Apollo, stating that they “believe there needs to be a regular stand-up series that showcases the best comedians in the country.”
Sharing a lengthy statement on their social media accounts, they wrote: “A combination of big names and the comics you haven’t heard of yet that are about to become your new favourite. But maybe it doesn’t need to be on terrestrial TV anymore…
“We are going to create that show and release it on [their] YouTube. The platform is already being utilised for comics to self-release specials; however, this, we believe, will be the first series of its kind on the platform.”
Led by Scouse comic Adam Rowe and former Manchester resident turned ‘Beat The Frog’ co-founder Dan Nightingale – who we were lucky enough to talk to chat with back in 2022 – they’ve given guest appearances to countless up-and-coming stars on the modern circuit.
Nightingale, who also founded the infamous ‘Beat The Frog’ format at the Frog and Bucket in the Northern Quarter, also compères regular nights as part of the Comedians Club Chester, providing even more opportunities for rising stars within the genre to get up on stage.
They go on to say, “We want to use the channel we’ve built to give comics an opportunity to do their stuff without the shackles and censorship that naturally come with broadcast TV. We believe there needs to be a regular stand-up series that showcases the best comedians in the country.
“A combination of big names and the comics you haven’t heard of yet that are about to become your new favourite. But maybe it doesn’t need to be on terrestrial TV anymore…”
In case you missed the news and how the unfortunate axing has come about (besides digital entertainment and streaming becoming increasingly dominant), you can find the full story down below.
22 years of spotlighting stand-up stars from all over.
Circling back to the mission statement from the pod crew, they signed off by adding, “This is the most excited we have been about a project for quite some time.”
“We cannot wait to show you what we do with this.”
Speaking on their most recent Patreon exclusive episode, Rowe went on to detail that they will be running the new live and straight-to-digital show from grassroots comedy venues, promising that the duo will not only MC, but also perform new material and spotlight at least two other talents on every episode.
The outpouring of support for the project has already begun, with plenty of fellow comics, podcast listeners, comedy fans and more praising the idea in the comments, racking up hundreds of responses and more than 12.7k comments on their Instagram alone.
What do you make of the plans to become ‘the new home’ of live comedy broadcasting?
Meanwhile, viewers and famous alumni alike are still mourning the loss of the UK TV institution, with the likes of another ex-Manc resident and UoM graduate Jack Whitehall, among many others, sharing old routines and crediting the programme’s influence on generations of the live stand-up circuit.
Sad to see Live at The Apollo is coming to an end. I remember watching it with Jack Dee as a teenager and being so excited when I finally got on it myself. End of an era. pic.twitter.com/vszlQ32Hxp
Daisy Jackson -
25th February 2022 
